Time Is Precious

I sit in awe and consider the lives that have experienced the shade of an oak. It’s strong and mighty limbs, the rustle of the leaves….and if you live in the beauty of a dense and humid air, the wafting of the spanish moss brings thoughts of nostalgia….of time gone by.

That tree you may be looking at, remembering, pondering….it took time to grow. The warmth of the sun, the seed, the rain….all nurturing and growing the beauty that is now majestic and billowing…..

As I ponder the time of the giant….the creates a beauty and hides the past ….. I consider my sweet ones…..as I sit near smaller trees, toppled over by recent weather….and watch my children swim.

No book, no phone, no distraction…. sitting next to a young woman, we are conversing, but our eyes are glued on the young ones…one recently discovering his ability to swim the length of the pool, pushing his body, desiring to keep up with his older brother and sister.

Their sweet swim turns to a natural order for all…the need to compete…to prove, to push and grow…

As their bodies race down the pool the young one turns, his mind has not yet been trained to keep his eyes forward, to focus on the goal, not be concerned with the progress of another…..and he turns.

His sibling is swimming, her head under water….she is pursuing her opponent, giving him a head start – desiring to encourage, but the need to win is overwhelming…she sees him turn into her lane…..

Her mind is not aware of the truth, she did not witness or see his heart….immediately, she considers his action to be that of trying to prevent her from winning……and the accusation is made and both hearts are hurt…..the truth is not visible to them.

They are in the moment.

Time is precious

Had I been sitting, reading, had my back turned, my eyes glued to my phone…or any other form of distraction, I would have missed this time….this opportunity to help both hearts see the truth

Truth is More Precious Than Time

Before the children could truly get into ‘what happened’, I asked both of them to come over. I did not give them a chance to share their thoughts…they had already made their thoughts known. I did ask them….if they loved one another..and of course their answers were YES.

Then, I shared with them….what had happened….and how easy it is to turn our eyes and thus turn our body. I shared how the little one looked back to see where his big sister was…..the joy in his eyes…and how at the moment he turned his eyes, his body turned…thus causing him to move into his sister’s lane…..and how at that moment, she looked up and thought she saw the truth…..

In that moment, I shared the beauty of Christ

I explained how the eye can lead the body down a path, with even a small sideways glance….that even when driving, I must keep my eyes ahead and when I look to my left and right to change lanes, I must maintain the direction of my body so I do not hit a car that may be next to me….

Truth Can Be Known

Truth can only be known when we are fully engaged, when we know our children, when we can look at them and see the beauty in their hearts, the love they desire and the diversions that take them from their paths.

We Must Rid Ourselves of Diversions

Sweet Mom, I need breaks and you need breaks, but our children need us. They need us to be up and awake for them….we should not be waking up to them. We need to have their hearts in mind at all times. No, we do not need to be on top of them 24/7, but we need to be talking with them, playing with them, guiding them, reading to them. They need more of us….less of their television, games, iPhones, iPads, friends…

If You are Not Giving Them Time and Truth

You are missing beautiful moments to help guide those young hearts. And…if you are not giving them your time, if you’re sitting with your head buried in your phone, computer or with other distractions, you are abdicating your God-given responsibility to put them first….and the enemy knows this. He will give that opportunity you are missing to someone else…and the seeds of truth you may be planting in 2 or 3 minutes…can be easily undone by the overwhelming time your children are spending with someone or something else….. don’t miss these moments, they are fleeting….

Read The Truth

There is one truth….it is God’s Word. It is beautiful and life-changing. We read it daily and my heart melts when my children beg for me to keep reading. In our Chronological Bible, we are now reading about David and Goliath. It’s an amazing story…of a little boy, who through God’s grace and power…..well, you know…..

Comments

Amber, Oh, I hope it was a post that lifted your heart…I can only write about things I relate too….I’ve made tons of mistakes and will make more, but when I write what I”ve been convicted on, when I share, I find more peace in my own heart. Thank you for stopping by!

Love the word picture here as it provides a related reminder that we sometimes think we have all the information to justify our feelings. I am struggling just now with that very situation in my own life. Thank you for reminding me to keep my eyes fixed on the path before me on this tough, tough day.

Carol Anne, oh, if we justify everything based on our feelings, we live without truth. Unfortunately, now that the world has attempted to cast God out and shouts: Do what feels good – what are we left with when what felt good…..wasn’t really as good as we thought…we are left with nothing but self loathing and pity…and Christians are given a beautiful life in which we can face anything, good or bad based on our Faith in Christ!!! I’m praying for you….and know this…our tough days, lead to beautiful growth. I’m sorry I have not responded before now…..I’ve had a few life issues that required my full attention…but, I do so apprecate you dropping by!

Your beautiful words always strike a chord in my heart, but especially these, that we need to spend our time with our children and not let them be pushed aside. I feel convicted, as I am sitting here reading blogs, but will be sure to put away the computer shortly and enjoy my children for the rest of the afternoon.

Lisa, YEs, our children need us…..BUT we also need a little time to refresh and regroup. When I read your posts….and other forms of communication from you, I can tell…your eyes are on your childre….me, I have to leave my phone where I can’t hear or see it…otherwise, it receives the focus…and my children see that they are not priority……